ICE arrests in Connecticut intensified this week as federal immigration agents detained dozens of people in Danbury, according to local officials and advocates who described scenes outside apartment complexes, during traffic stops, in parks, and near schools.
The Trump administration’s broader removal push has accelerated even in Democratic-led states with policies that seek to limit federal immigration enforcement. Newly released internal figures indicate ICE arrests climbed sharply in June and July nationwide.
ICE arrests in Connecticut draw local outcry
Officials and activists in Danbury said officers, some wearing masks, began a targeted operation Monday. Advocates reported detentions near an elementary school and a daycare center.
One father was taken into custody moments after walking his child to a bus stop, according to Clementina Lunar of Danbury Unites for Immigrants. The group said that by Wednesday evening more than 50 arrests had affected 40 families, and many residents were staying indoors out of fear.
“We are talking about mothers with babies and school-age children who unfortunately had their breadwinner taken,” Lunar said, adding that the city felt terrorized by the activity.
Danbury, home to roughly 90,000 people, is nearly one-third Hispanic or Latino, U.S. Census Bureau data show, and a slightly higher share of residents were born outside the United States.
DHS cites public safety threats amid protests
The Department of Homeland Security said ICE officers addressed multiple public safety threats, including arrests of at least four individuals with violent crime convictions who had entered the country illegally. Protesters confronted agents during the operation, and activists said officers used pepper spray at least once.
Local, state, and federal representatives from Connecticut held a news conference Wednesday condemning the operation, warning it was traumatizing students as the school year begins. ICE said it does not target schools, but that it would not allow criminals to hide in schools and endanger children.
National arrests spike under expanded resources
Internal data show ICE arrests have increased markedly in recent months after Congress approved billions of dollars for detention and deportation and the agency added thousands of officers over the past year. Nearly 50,000 people were arrested in July, the highest monthly total of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at U.C. Berkeley and UCLA and analyzed by The Associated Press.
Most of those detained had no criminal record. While large numbers of arrests occurred in states such as Texas and Florida that cooperate closely with the crackdown, July totals rose across the country, including in states with laws aimed at limiting ICE activity, such as New Jersey.
City leaders allege profiling, DHS rejects claim
Danbury Mayor Roberto Alves, who immigrated from Brazil as a child, said those detained included a man who has lived in the city for 30 years, held work authorization, paid taxes, and was pursuing permanent residency. “The folks doing it the right way are also getting deported. We can’t stand for that any more,” Alves said.
He alleged officers were engaging in racial profiling in public spaces, a claim DHS dismissed as false.
At Wednesday’s news conference, hecklers accused local officials of failing to do enough to counter the federal operation.
Connecticut law faces federal challenge
The U.S. Department of Justice is challenging a Connecticut law enacted this year that bars ICE officers from wearing masks and designates protected areas, including schools and churches, where civil immigration arrests are prohibited. ICE contends the statute is unconstitutional, and local and state officials have noted they may not have authority to arrest federal agents.
Internal data show ICE arrests have increased markedly in recent months after Congress approved billions of dollars for detention and deportation and the agency added thousands of officers over the past year. Nearly 50,000 people were arrested in July, the highest monthly total of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at U.C. Berkeley and UCLA and analyzed by The Associated Press.
Danbury, home to roughly 90,000 people, is nearly one-third Hispanic or Latino, U.S. Census Bureau data show, and a slightly higher share of residents were born outside the United States. Nearly 50,000 people were arrested in July, the highest monthly total of President Donald Trump’s second term, according to ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project at U.C. Berkeley and UCLA and analyzed by The Associated Press.
Newly released internal figures indicate ICE arrests climbed sharply in June and July nationwide, a pattern that echoes broader debates about immigration enforcement highlighted in coverage such as Karoline Leavitt to join MAGA Inc. after White House exit.